In His Shadow
by Time Lady
Summary: Two people feel like they've been in Matt's shadow for far too long. Can they emerge and find love together? Art contest winners announced at the end.


In His Shadow  
  
By Time Lady  
  
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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon  
  
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In the shadows backstage, he stood watching his best friend and his band perform. Some people would think it a thrill to be allowed backstage at a Young Wolves concert. But Tai didn't. Not when the girl he cared most about stood next to him, swooning over the lead singer. In the audience he could barely see into the shadows of the audience. Girls out there were screaming. Rolling his eyes, Tai saw Jun Motomiya making a fool out of herself again. "Doesn't she ever learn?" thought Tai. "She's as dense as her brother. Neither one seems to be able to realize the person they're interested in cares if they even exist." Tai sighed, then glanced at Sora. "At least Sora _used_ to care about me."  
  
For the fans, the concert was over all too quickly. For Tai, it wasn't soon enough. "Hey," said Matt as soon as the curtains closed. "Sora, you want to go get something to eat?"  
  
"Sure, I'd love to," she replied. Tai remembered when she has that same look in her eyes for him.  
  
"What about you Tai?" asked Matt.  
  
"You two go on. I'm not very hungry," replied Tai. Mentally he added "I don't want to feel like a 5th wheel."  
  
"Suit yourself. Let me get my guitar packed and we'll go," Matt told Sora.  
  
Quietly Tai slipped back into the shadows and away from the stage. "Matt used to complain about being jealous of me and the way I could relate to TK," thought Tai. "Now look at who's the jealous one." Glancing at his watch, he realized he better get out of there before the groupies swarmed the backstage exit.  
  
Too late. Screaming groupies closed in. "HEY WAIT!" shouted a familiar voice as Tai was knocked to the ground. Hands began pulling at his jacket. "HE'S NOT A MEMBER OF THE BAND!"  
  
"AWWWWW!" was the disappointed wail.  
  
"Unngghh," groaned Tai. Someone helped him up. Turning around, he saw Jun. "Thanks," he said, dusting himself off.  
  
"You okay?" she asked. Tai nodded. "Were you watching the show from backstage?"   
  
"Yeah," returned Tai.  
  
"You are _so_ lucky," sighed Jun.  
  
"Not really. The view from backstage stinks. All you see are the backs of everyone's heads." He didn't mention watching his former girlfriend with her eyes glued to his best friend.  
  
Tai didn't know why, but he waited with the groupies a good fifteen minutes. Finally one of the backstage hands came out. "Sorry people. The band left another way." Another anguished wail went up from the crowd. By ones and twos they dispersed until only Tai and Jun were left.  
  
"I can't believe I missed him," muttered Jun.  
  
"Yeah, well, see you," said Tai with a wave. He turned and walked off.  
  
---  
  
The next weekend was a repeat of the previous. Backstage at another concert. Tai watched Sora. "What would it take for you to notice me again? To look at me the way you look at Matt again?" he thought. In the shadows towards the back of the auditorium, he saw Jun. "Maybe I'm as hopeless as you," he thought. After the concert, he declined joining Matt and Sora for snacks afterwards. This time he waited until they had definitely departed before leaving the backstage door. A lone figure waited in the shadows.  
  
"Tai, what does he see in Sora?" asked the figure with a sad tone.  
  
"Why haven't you gone yet Jun?"  
  
"I was waiting for Matt, hoping that maybe, well. . . ," her voice trailed off. "Then I saw the way he put his arm around her. . . ."  
  
"Yeah, well, I hate to break this to you, but they're in love." As Tai moved closer, he saw a tear roll down her cheek. "I know exactly how you feel."  
  
"I remember you and Sora seemed pretty close a couple of years back."  
  
"Yeah, well, people can drift," said Tai with a bitter note to his voice.   
  
"I never had a chance with him, did I?" She began walking towards home. Unconsciously Tai walked with her. "I've been wasting my time going to concerts, doing everything I can to get Matt to notice me." Jun's head hung as she walked.  
  
"Well hey, they may break up and you'll have a chance," said Tai brightly.  
  
"Or so you hope. Are you at the concerts because Matt's your best friend, or because you're hoping he and Sora will break up and you'll be the first one in?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm about as hopeless as you," said Tai with a rueful chuckle. They walked silently for a little while. Jun shuffled along, barely watching where she was walking. "Hey, careful!" Tai grabbed her arm, preventing her from walking into a lamp post.  
  
"Sorry. Thanks Tai," said Jun in a morose voice.  
  
Tai sighed. As annoying as Jun was, she felt as down as he did. And she was Davis' sister. At least he could try and cheer her up. "You know, I'm kind of hungry. Want to stop for something to eat?"  
  
"No. I think I'll just go home." Jun felt like she was going to cry.  
  
"I'll walk you home. Davis would never forgive me if you didn't make it home okay."  
  
"Yeah, right," snorted Jun. "My brother cares only about three things: soccer, video games, and your sister."  
  
"Give him time to come around." They walked in silence the rest of the way to Jun's building, which was next door to Tai's.  
  
"Thanks for walking me home Tai," said Jun softly.  
  
"Good night," he returned as she walked into the building. He stared at the building entrance for a long moment before walking to his own building.  
  
---  
  
Jun spent the next few days in a funk. It felt like an enormous slap in the face. She thought she and Matt had a chance. No. That was wishful thinking. She and Matt never had a chance. Matt wanted someone like Sora, who was sweet, quiet, demure - everything Jun wasn't.  
  
By Wednesday, she knew she had to do something to distract herself. Davis was playing soccer. He always complained that none of his family ever came to his games. It would be something to do. After school, she went to the soccer fields. She saw Tai's sister and Matt's brother sitting in the stands and joined them.  
  
"Hi," said Jun with none of her usual perkiness.  
  
"Hi Jun," said Kari. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to watch Davis play. He always complains about the family not coming," said Jun.  
  
"Davis' game isn't until later," said TK. "First game is the upper division. That's the high school students."  
  
"Oh?" Jun looked at the sidelines. Tai was with his team in their blue jerseys. She recognized a few people from her school on the same team. The other team wore green. "I didn't realize Tai was playing today. He didn't mention it."  
  
"Tai's been keeping to himself a lot lately," admitted Kari.  
  
From his bench seat on the sidelines, Tai scanned the audience. Sora hadn't come yet. Even though she promised she would. He bit back his disappointment. Kari and TK waved to him from the stands. But who? Jun sat next to Kari in the stands. What in the world was Jun doing there? Then he realized Davis played in the second game.   
  
Despite her brother being addicted to the sport, Jun knew very little about soccer. Kari and TK spent about 15 minutes explaining enough of the game to her so that she could follow along.   
  
Jun noticed that Tai kept looking into the stands from time to time with a disappointed expression on his face. She knew what he was looking for. Or rather who. Jun couldn't help feeling a twinge of resentment. What was so important to keep Sora from her friend's soccer game? "Come on Tai!" screamed Jun. "You can do it! GO TAI!"  
  
Hearing his name shouted so enthusiastically, Tai glanced up into the stands. Jun was standing up and waving her arms. Jun was cheering him on? At least someone seemed to care about him besides Kari and TK. He didn't have time to think further as he managed to steal the ball from the opposing team and kicked it to one of his teammates.  
  
---  
  
"Do these games often go into overtime?" Jun asked Kari.  
  
"Not a lot. But you've got two really well matched teams here," explained Kari.  
  
"Hi." Jun looked up and saw Sora making her way into the bleachers. Behind her stood Matt.  
  
"Nice of you to show up," said Jun.  
  
"Sorry," apologized Matt. "Practice ran over."  
  
The coach had called a time out. Tai and his teammates ran off the field to their bench. He looked into the bleachers where Jun, Kari and TK had been sitting. His eyes lit up when he saw Sora had arrived. Then his heart fell when he saw her sitting and holding hands with Matt. All the energy drained out of him. He barely heard his coach's instructions.  
  
"Something's wrong," Kari said to Jun as they watched Tai attempt to play. "Tai can do a lot better than that."  
  
Jun glanced over at Matt and Sora, who appeared to be absorbed in each other rather than in the game. "Hey you two!" snapped Jun. "Stop making goo-goo eyes at each other and start cheering your friend!" As Sora and Matt stared at Jun in surprise, Jun turned towards the field. "COME ON TAI! YOU CAN DO IT!" Kari and TK joined her in her cheers.  
  
Tai tried to intercept the ball when his foot slipped out from under him. "Oof!" he exhaled as he landed on his back. The coach called time out.  
  
"GET UP TAI! YOU CAN DO IT!" he heard someone shouting from the stands. "GET UP AND PLAY THE GAME THE WAY WE KNOW YOU CAN!"  
  
As the team's trainer helped him sit up, Tai looked towards the stands. Jun was waving frantically while shouting words of encouragement. Other people in the stands began to join her in chanting "TAI! TAI! TAI!" Suddenly, it dawned on him. He didn't play soccer to impress Sora. He played it because he loved it. And he'd be damned if he'd let her ruin his game any further. Slowly he got to his feet.  
  
"All right," said the trainer. "Let's get you off to the sidelines."  
  
"Nah, I'm fine," said Tai, shaking him off. "I just had the wind knocked out of me." And the sense knocked into me, he added mentally. Tai resumed his position on the field and the referee blew his whistle.  
  
Jun didn't stop shouting words of encouragement for a moment. She knew Tai needed to know that someone was interested in how he was doing, even if his so called "best friends" were more interested in each other than the game. When Tai kicked the game winning goal, Jun was right there, cheering with the rest of the crowd. Then she watched as both teams went to the locker rooms.  
  
"That's it?" Jun asked Kari.  
  
"Now it's time for Davis' game," said Kari. "Tai should be up here after he finishes showering."  
  
The second game began. Jun didn't find herself as interested in her brother's game as she was in Tai's. Finally Tai joined his friends in the stands. He wore a clean, blue t-shirt and gray shorts. Jun slid over so he could have a place to sit on the bleachers.  
  
"Great game," said Jun enthusiastically. "Well, it's the first soccer game I've ever really sat through, but it was really good."  
  
"Thanks," said Tai. Before he could say anything else to her, Matt and Sora stood.   
  
"Good game," said Matt. "Sorry we were late, but I had band practice. And speaking of which, I need to be heading back."  
  
"Congratulations," added Sora. "You did a great job." Sora followed Matt out of the stands. Kari, TK, and Jun noticed Tai staring off down the steps after them.  
  
"Hey Tai," said TK. "Why don't you try and explain the game to Jun? Kari and I tried, but we're not the experts."  
  
"Huh? Oh, sure," said Tai.  
  
Tai spent the rest of the game explaining soccer to Jun. But only TK and Kari noticed how Jun seemed to hang on Tai's every word.   
  
After the game, Davis came and joined them. He seemed rather surprised to see his sister. "Jun? What are you doing here?"  
  
"You're the one who complained that no one in the family ever comes to see you play," she returned.  
  
"Hey," said Tai, "how about we celebrate two wins with some ice cream?"  
  
Kari and TK glanced at each other. "We'll have to pass on the ice cream," said TK.  
  
"Yeah, there's a killer history test tomorrow," added Kari.  
  
"History test?" asked Davis. "What history test?"  
  
"The test on her lecture yesterday," replied Kari. "The lecture you slept through."  
  
"The one that if you don't pass, our history teacher threatened to skin you alive," said TK. He and Kari each grabbed one of Davis' arms and dragged him off before he could say anything else.  
  
Jun sighed. "He never learns. I've heard his history teacher is really tough."  
  
"Yeah," said Tai. "So. . . still want to join me for ice cream?"  
  
"I'd love to," said Jun with a smile.  
  
---  
  
For the first time he remembered, Tai actually had a conversation with Jun. Not those "Hello, Goodbye, how did you do on the test," type conversations, but a real, deep conversation. Like everyone he knew, he had taken Jun at face value. Everyone thought of her as a flighty girl into whatever fad was hot or person was idol worshipped. He never knew she wanted to draw. He never thought that she would like Rocky Road ice cream, or watching comedies, or that she liked to cook. As he walked her home from the ice cream parlor, he realized he wanted to get to know her better.  
  
Jun couldn't remember the last time someone had actually shown any interest in her as a person. She had only known Tai by sight and by brief conversations at school or when he was coming to see Davis. Not only did he seem very cute, but he also appeared to be more than just a jock. And if Tai was anything like his sister Kari, she could see why Davis was so persistent in chasing Kari. There was something about Tai that she couldn't get out of her mind.  
  
That evening, after dinner and a fight with Davis about studying for his test, Jun went to her room and got out her sketch pad. Flipping through, she passed at least a dozen idealized sketches of Matt. Sketches like any teenage girl would do of any idol singer. Finally she reached a blank page, picked up her pencil, and began drawing.  
  
---  
  
"Boy, you're quiet lately," said Tai as he sat down next to Jun on the grass. It was too nice to eat lunch inside the school cafeteria. He noticed she had a sketch book in her hands. "Hey, let me see."  
  
"Umm. . . HEY!" she exclaimed as he pulled it out of her hands. "GIVE ME THAT!"  
  
"Hmm," he said with a smirk. "Lots of pictures of Matt."  
  
"I don't remember giving you permission to look at my sketch book," she said in mock anger, her arms crossed over her chest.   
  
"Actually, these are pretty good," he said, flipping through the pages. Then, suddenly, he paused. The last couple of pictures were totally different from the rest of the sketch book. First of all because the style of drawing appeared to change. Second, because they were of him.  
  
Jun's face flushed. "I was sort of inspired by the game the other day." She willed herself not to snap the pencil that she had a death grip on. Silently Tai studied the pages for several long minutes.. Jun had put a lot of her heart into the drawings. "I hadn't planned on showing you."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I never thought my drawings were any good. . ." she said, staring at the pencil.  
  
"You should show them to the art teacher," said Tai.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. These pics of Matt are great."  
  
Jun's face turned a few shades redder. "And what do you think of the pictures of you?"  
  
"I think they're awsome."  
  
"You do?" Jun's voice held a note of skepticism.   
  
"Yeah, I do."  
  
BRRRRRRRIIINNNNGGGGG!!!!!!  
  
"I guess lunch is over," said Tai, turning the book back to it's owner. "We better get to class."  
  
"Yeah," said Jun. Her fingers brushed Tai's as she took back her sketch pad. "Umm, well, I better not be late. Bye!" Smooth, she thought with a wince as she dashed towards the school. Why am I so nervous around him? Why can't I be like I was around Matt? She went into the girls' bathroom and looked at her pad at the pictures she drew of Tai. Because he's not Matt, she thought.  
  
---  
  
Tai didn't see Jun the rest of the day. Mostly because they didn't have any classes together. He waited briefly by her locker, but she didn't appear. "Well, I guess I'll see her at Matt's concert tomorrow afternoon," he thought.  
  
The next afternoon, Tai was again in the shadows backstage of one of Matt's concerts. They were in a tent at a fair giving a matinee performance. Sora was there as well, but Tai wasn't looking at her. He scanned the audience carefully for Jun. She wasn't in any of the obvious spots in the first few rows. His eyes strained to see in the shadows. No, Jun wasn't there. Wherever she was, she usually made herself known. A concerned frown crossed Tai's face. Jun _never_ missed one of the Young Wolves' concerts.  
  
Silently Tai slipped deeper into the shadows and out of the tent. The sun shone brightly, forcing Tai to shade his eyes as he looked for a pay phone. It took a couple of minutes for him to remember the Motomiya phone number. He slipped a coin into the slot and dialed.   
  
"Motomiya residence."  
  
"Jun?"  
  
"Oh, hi Tai. Did you need to talk to Davis?"  
  
"No. I was at the concert and didn't see you. Is everything ok?"  
  
There was silence for a moment on Jun's end of the phone. "I didn't feel like coming," she said after a minute.  
  
"Yeah," said Tai. "You've seen one concert of his, you've seen them all."  
  
"Same play list as the last 3 concerts?"  
  
"They flip-flopped a few songs, but otherwise the same." This time, Tai paused for a minute. "Listen Jun, it's a nice, sunny day and there are a bunch of rides and other events. Do you want to come and wander the fair with me?" he asked hesitantly. "Afterwards we can catch a movie."  
  
There was another pause. "Sure," she said hesitantly. "That would be great."  
  
"OK. Tell you what. I'll meet you at your apartment in about a half hour."  
  
"Sure! See you soon." Jun hung up the phone on her end. She stared at it for a few minutes. Did Tai just ask her out on a date she wondered. He didn't say the word date outright, but he did ask her to go with him to the fair. It _had_ to be a date. Her eyes opened wide. She had a half hour and no idea what to wear.  
  
Tai hung up the pay phone. He turned and began a long, slow walk towards the Motomiya's apartment building. The sunshine was a nice change from being in dark backstage area of the concert. It finally felt as if both he and Jun were coming out from being in Matt's shadow.  
  
- The End -   
  
Author's notes: This was inspired by the episode with everyone at Matt's concert. It inspired this rather fluffy idea. I had started writing it, then put it aside, and picked it up again about 3 weeks later. I know a bunch of you out there probably don't like the idea of Taijun/Junchi, but I do find it plausible and a refreshing change (the only couple I'm a confirmed fan of is Takari, so don't start with me about couples).  
  
Meanwhile, a new Teacher POV should be out soon. No guarantees though. Ideas have been slow, and I've been dragged down by standardized testing and getting the new computer lab running. Hopefully, I'll have another Digiquest for Glory out soon as well.  
  
For those of you asking about The Seekers and The Doctor and the Debutante, as I said, I'm planning on posting these when they're finished. It's very difficult to go back and make major changes once the chapters start getting posted. Odds are, The Doctor and the Debutante will be posted first.  
  
And now  
  
********* THE CONTEST RESULTS ***********  
  
WOW! I didn't think I'd get so many pictures in at the last minute! I think my email server's still recovering. ^_^  
  
The pictures were all really good. So good that I have ties. As I said, the winning pictures will be rotated in my profile and the winners from the top 3 places will appear as characters in some of my stories (I'm always needing extra characters). The first place winner will get to pick which story they appear in (either an upcoming ATPOV, Digiquest, or the still in the works Seekers or The Doctor and the Debutante).  
  
And now, a drumroll please.  
  
(A drum comes rolling by)  
  
-_-;;;  
  
Third place is a tie! The third place winners are:  
  
Piper, for the picture of the Digiquest for Glory heroes  
Katie Coppers, for the picture of Chibimon, who has been raiding the teacher's desk again in the A Teacher's POV series  
And  
Samurainoble (sorry, can't make the character at the beginning) for portraying a rather worried teacher expecting to find a snake in her desk from A Teacher's POV - Teacher's Pet.  
  
Now, on to second place.  
  
Second place is. . . a tie!   
  
It's a tie between Jenglory for her rendition of Takangemon from the Angels series and Whelton (DavisBasher) for another picture from the Angels series, this one of both Takangemon and Karangewomon.  
  
And now, the first place winner is. . .  
  
Can I have a _real_ drum roll this time?  
  
someone begins playing a drum  
  
And the first place winner is. . . yet another tie!  
  
audience groans  
  
The two top winners are: Andrew/Kyoui for his drawing of Hikari, Takeru, Patamon, and Gatomon from A Digi-tale and Gwydion (Jessi Azzarello) for the picture of Takeru as a mage in Digiquest for Glory.  
  
Thanks again to all who submitted pictures. Winners, please email me with which name you want me to use in the story (and your gender). First place winners, let me know which story you want to be written into.  
  
Maybe in a few months, I'll have another art contest.  
  
You can stop the drum roll now.  
  
Please?  
  
You're giving me a headache.  
  
whacks drummer over head with the Big Ass Sledge Hammer  



End file.
